


to love and to cherish

by bluecranes



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Babysitting, Fluff, M/M, post IDOLiSH7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-09 11:48:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18637537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluecranes/pseuds/bluecranes
Summary: Mitsuki had always been great with kids. He helped to raise his little brother, was always the reliable neighborhood babysitter, and kids were drawn to his energy no matter where he went. Yamato, on the other hand, could barely handle the idea of being responsible for someone besides himself and Musashi. It wasn't that he disliked kids. It was just...complicated.Entrusted with Sougo and Ryuu’s kids for an afternoon, the couple gets a fresh chance to consider what they want in a family.





	to love and to cherish

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PompousPickle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PompousPickle/gifts).



“You’re eating too loudly. Honestly Yamato, how many goddamn times do I have to tell you to eat with your mouth closed?”

 “You might have to remind me one more time. Also, language,” Yamato says pointedly, looking down at the little girl in his lap who was focused intently on the Sailor moon episode on the screen. Nanami had the kindness of Sougo and Ryuu combined, but she definitely had Sougo’s temperament with how sharp she was. She wasn’t a little girl that he wanted to mess with. Not after the last plastic fork incident...

 “...I know the difference between a good word and a bad word,” she commented, not taking her eyes away from the screen.

 “Well aren’t you just the smartest little—”

 “Yamato~” Mitsuki smiled tighter, looking between the lilac-haired 6-year-old and his longtime boyfriend. “Play nice, won’t you?” He bounced the baby in his arms, gently rocking him back and forth. “Yuuto is sleeping. And if he wakes up because of you, we’re going to have a problem.”

 “Maybe I want a problem, Mitsu. Maybe I’m just asking for it.”

 Of course, his tone didn’t go unnoticed, but Mitsuki refused to dignify him with a reaction. Yuuto made a small noise, stretching his fists into the air and blinking awake. Yamato was _so_ dead. But Mitsuki couldn't help but smile when he noticed Yamato gently carding his fingers through Nanami’s hair, his hands idly braiding her hair as they returned to watching the screen.

 Thankfully it seemed that Yuuto was waking up peacefully. “Good morning, Yuuto. You’re looking refreshed!” Mitsuki cooed and smiled at him, his fingers touching against the baby’s soft skin. Yamato glanced over for a moment, watching as Mitsuki cared for the small child in his arms. _He’s so good with him_ , he smiled to himself. His boyfriend really was just the best at everything. Yuuto curled his tiny hand around Mitsuki’s finger, babbling and shaking his fist more as Mitsuki continued to make more cooing noises back at him.

 There was something about protecting a small life like this, nurturing him and watching him grow day after day. Mitsuki insistently asked for photos of the two whenever he could, and seeing Ryuu and Sougo grow as parents was enough to make his heart soar. They had taken the steps to further their relationship and Mitsuki couldn’t help but...feel a little jealous.

 It wasn’t that they hadn’t had the “kids” conversation. They had, maybe once, like, five years ago, around when they first officially started dating, right after IDOLiSH7 took its first hiatus. Mitsuki can hardly remember the way that conversation went, but he’s pretty sure Yamato had laughed at the idea. They were 25 then. With Mitsu just passing his 30th birthday this year, he was a little more than antsy.

 “The kids...they’re pretty great huh?” Mitsuki said offhandedly, his eyes leaving Yuuto’s face and going to Yamato’s. It was as if the words froze Yamato in place. He was clearly taken off guard but was doing his best to save face.

 “Yeah, they are.” he finally conceded, finishing the braid in Nanami’s hair and tying it on the end with a hair tie he had been keeping on his wrist. The look on his face meant he knew where this conversation was going. It wasn’t like they could avoid the topic for much longer. Yamato finally looked over at his boyfriend, who held his gaze with knowing eyes.

 Mitsuki was always so observant. He had watched over Yamato for so long, always being the right-hand man to the leader. Without Nagi and Mitsuki at his side, Yamato probably would’ve fallen apart a long time ago. But thankfully with Mitsuki’s wind at his back, he was able to carry the rest of IDOLiSH7 on his shoulders.

 But that didn’t mean he’d be any good at parenthood.

 “You’d be great, you know.” Mitsuki always knew what he was thinking, his eyes following the way Nanami leaned into Yamato's gentle touch. “I bet you’d be great with our kids.”

  _Our_ kids.

The sound of that made Yamato’s heart do something unfamiliar, something that it only did when Mitsuki talked about the future and how he still planned on having him in it. The fact that Mitsuki had kept him around for this long was a miracle in itself. He wasn’t really sure exactly how or why he managed to deserve him but—

“I’m serious.” Mitsuki sat down next to Yamato, his shoulders touching with his. He leaned his head on his shoulder and continued to hold Yuuto in his arms. “You’d make a great dad.”

Yamato’s silence was telling Mitsuki everything that he wanted to say but couldn’t. He hadn’t been raised by a good father, and he hardly knew what one was supposed to be like. Shaking his head, he pulled Nanami closer as the episode ended. She turned and curled into his chest, listening to his heartbeat quicken at her affections.

“I think I’m just fine as a cool uncle, Mitsu.”

“You’d be an even cooler dad.” Mitsuki began, looking out of the window wistfully. “You’ve taken care of so many people over the years, I don’t doubt that you could take care of one of your own.”

“That was only because you were there.”

“I’ll always be with you though, won’t I?” He looked back at him, watching the blush form on Yamato’s face. The taller man couldn’t help but feel vulnerable and bare when Mitsuki smiled at him like _that,_ his eyes all sincere and genuine. It was unfathomable to Yamato how much Mitsuki believed in him, how his confidence never faltered over the years, even though Yamato messed up time and time again.

Mitsuki was a star brighter than he could have ever imagined, and for Yamato to catch him in his hands was an impossible feat. Some days, he still woke up with Mitsuki tucked against his chest, wondering if it was all a dream. Someone like him just can’t find a happy end this easily, (or so he always thought) and to imagine a life where he and Mitsuki are raising kids on their own and he’s a functioning fatherly figure...well...

It’s not something Yamato could quite picture. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; rather, it was that he had no idea what that would look like.

Slowly, Yamato realized that he had been staring off for quite some time. Mitsuki’s concerned gaze undid him, untwisting his skittish threads. The scared look in his eyes, the tremble of his lip, the nervous sweat on his brow.

 _“I’ll always be with you though, won’t I?”_ The phrase repeated in his head, and he had to force down the voice that told him otherwise.

“Yeah, you will, but...it’s. Different.”

“Why?”

“You know I’m no good at that whole…” He gestured vaguely, looking up at the ceiling and struggling to hold back frustrated tears. “Family thing.”

The Izumi family was the closest thing he’d ever had.

“I know. But learning together and doing our best together could be kind of fun, right?”

...Together.

For so long, Yamato and Mitsuki had been “together.” It was strange thinking about how much time had passed from the moment they both walked into Takanashi Productions to the moment they performed their final live together. They had been through so much, and Mitsuki was right—when they did things together, the old man did feel just a bit younger.

“I see your point. But…” He looked back at Mitsuki, his eyes resigned and knowing. “When I’m ready, I’ll let you know.”

“Is that just your nice way of telling me no?”  
  
“It’s this onii-san’s way of telling you that you’ll have to cash in the husband card before we start talking about...that.”

There was a beat of silence between them, the only sound the static of the TV. Mitsuki’s face was blank and unreadable.

“Wait, you... actually want to get married someday?”

“Why wouldn’t I want to be married to the World’s Most Desirable Husband? I’d get homemade bentos every day—”

There was a sniffle.

“Mitsu? Why are you....”

“I’m not crying! It’s...allergies… I’m just really allergic to…” he sniffled, wiping his eyes until they were believably dry. “Stupid, adorable boyfriend bullshit.”

“...You really thought that I wouldn’t want to marry you, Mitsu?” Yamato can’t help but feel guilty. Sure, he wasn’t the most forward guy, but Mitsuki was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He pulled him out of his apathy and reminded him why living meant living for yourself.

Living meant living like tomorrow would be your last day. He couldn’t just half-ass things anymore, not with Mitsuki Izumi at his side. Yamato wanted to live every day like that. If it meant waking up early and helping to make breakfast for their fellow members...working hard, even on their days off…babysitting their friends’ kids between solo gigs…

Well, that was just a life he was willing to live now.

“I don’t know. You’re kind of a weird guy.”

“I tell you I want to marry you someday and you call me weird; I’m starting to reconsider things Mitsu..”

“If you guys get married, can I be the flower girl?”

Yamato was suddenly reminded of the small child in his lap and looked at her fondly. “Ah...”

“Of course you can! And Yuuto can be the ring bearer. I’m sure he’ll be able to walk by then. By the time Yamato’s ready, he’ll probably be able to talk...read...maybe even drive a car…”

“Mitsu…”

“Kidding! Mostly.”

Nanami looked more than pleased, climbing off of Yamato’s lap and onto the floor.

“You promised you would teach me to dance! We have to dance!”

“I don’t remember making that deal.”

“I do! You said you would!” Her face fell. Mitsuki knew exactly where this was going. The pouted lip and crossed arms could only mean destruction was imminent. “Are you really not going to dance with me…?”

“Well…”

“Yamato, it’s rude not to keep a promise, don’t you think?”

“Yeah!” The tiny voice piped up, and Yamato resisted the urge to scowl.

“I’ll get you back for this…”

It only took moments to set the room up, pushing the coffee table out of the center of the room. Mitsuki stayed on the couch, with Yuuto sitting in his lap. The two were ready for a performance to be remembered!

“Do we _have_ to do TRIGGER?”

“TRIGGER is #1!” She said happily, assuming Ryuu’s pose in the formation. Mitsuki didn’t know how he felt about the little girl taking the role of the Ero-ero beast, but it was her dad, so he figured it was probably fine.

“What about IDOLiSH7…”

“IDOLiSH7 is my 3rd favorite!”

“Eh?”

“Uncle Momo and Uncle Yuki are the 2nd best!”

Defeated, Yamato hung his head in defeat.

“Chin up! You’re an idol so you have to smile!”

Ah...she really was the daughter of two incredible idols, wasn’t she?

The sound of Diamond Fusion played over the stereo, and Nanami immediately moved to the beat. It was obvious that she had watched the old video many times over, and Yamato had to admit that it was definitely one of his favorite TRIGGER throwbacks. And unfortunately, between the times they had babysat Nanami and Sougo constantly dancing to it anytime he was drunk, Yamato had picked up quite a few moves.

He wasn’t about to admit how often he listened to TRIGGER. Yaotome would never let him live _that one_ down.

Mitsuki watched them both, his eyes captivated by the way Yamato moved and mouthed the words directly in his direction. He broke _that_ gaze. He couldn’t allow Yamato to fluster him—not here. His eyes fell to Nanami, whose eyes matched the intensity of the idols who raised her.

Remembering back to when he was that young, he fondly recalled looking up to Zero this way. Practicing his moves as soon as he could properly move his legs. Singing his songs once he could speak more than a couple of words. His parents had been huge Zero fans, and he grew to be an even bigger one. Yuuto stretched his arms, wiggling them around as if he wanted to dance too.

The idol world was difficult, but of course he would never take it back—even with all they had been through. Would he suggest it to others?

“Don't take your eyes off me, Uncle Mitsu!”

Ah...only with drive like that, would he say you'd survive.

“I wouldn't dream of it.”

The sound of the door opening made the baby in his arms perk up, and he turned to see Ryuu and Sougo both carrying bags on their arms.

“Is that my baby boy?” Ryuu beamed, making sure to smile at Nanami as he walked in.

“Aa~” Yuuto cooed, sticking out his chubby arms towards his taller father.

Sougo sat down on the couch, waving his imaginary light sticks to the sound of TRIGGER. He reached over and rubbed Yuuto’s head between waves. “It’s a TRIGGER day, huh?”

“When _isn’t_ it a TRIGGER day, Sougo?” Mitsuki laughed, watching as Yamato tried to play it cool. But there was no hiding it now. He was already almost at the end. Nanami stumbled through the lyrics but held fast in her pose as she sang the ending with passion. It wasn’t until the song was completely over that she moved from her position and ran over to climb in Sougo’s lap.

“Daddy! Did you see me! Did you see I did it all the way to the end? Did you see?” she asked excitedly, pulling on his lapels to emphasize her point.

“Of course I saw. You were amazing!” He ruffled her hair and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Yamato-kun was an amazing partner, don’t you think, Nanami?”

“He was okay. A little off on the ending. But okay.” she giggled, obviously teasing the older man.

“Onii-san just can’t catch a break, can he?”

Ryuu made his way to the kitchen to put away some of the groceries and various items the two had gathered throughout the day. After being bullied, Yamato left Mitsuki and Sougo to their chatter about their day.

“Need some help?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, if you don’t mind. Thanks for babysitting as always, Yamato-kun.”

“It’s no problem...after all, Mitsu likes looking after them. It’s nice to see him happy.”

Ryuu closed the cabinet and turned to look at Yamato after a moment of deep thought.

“I hope you don’t mind me prying but...have you two, you know, talked about it?”

This onii-san _really_ can’t catch a break.

“Ah...yeah, we have. I’m just…” He glanced over through the doorway, seeing Mitsuki happily bouncing Yuuto on his knee. “...Nervous about whether or not I’d do a good job, is all.”

“Seriously?” Ryuu looked at Yamato with surprise, leaning back on the counter. “I think you’d be one of the best dads out of our friend group. Definitely the cool dad…”

Yamato was surprised to hear that, pulling a can of beer out of the fridge and placing it on the counter. “Really? Think I’ll become the beer belly dad?”

“I think you’ll be the dad everyone wishes their dad was like.”

Yamato didn’t really know how to take that, sipping his beer quietly for a moment. He mulled it over, thinking about the future and everything that had led up to this point. Living the way he did really didn’t scream “Best Future Dad” to him, but maybe his friends were seeing something that he couldn’t.

“I just don’t want to mess up what we have. What if we add kids into the picture and Mitsu realizes I’m nothing but a deadbeat?”

“But you’d be there for them, right? As long as you do your best, and try your hardest, it’ll be fine.” Seeing Ryuu and Sougo always so happy together made Yamato feel like he couldn’t compete with their perfect relationship. It always seemed like they had everything together. Their perfect home, their perfect kids, their perfect life. Even if that wasn’t the case, Yamato couldn’t help but think that if he was in the equation, nothing could be perfect. And Mitsu deserved only the best.

“How do you do it? Be the perfect family, and all that.”

Ryuu couldn’t help but laugh.

“Be the perfect family? Well...we’re not. It took a lot of work to get here. Getting Sougo to open up and realize that he’d actually be great with kids...it was a struggle. Working with a surrogate? Nothing about that was perfect or easy.” he sighed, putting his hand on Yamato’s shoulder.

“But we’re doing it together. And that’s what matters.”

Yamato exhaled, running his fingers through his hair and taking a bigger sip of his beer. This was too heavy of a topic for the middle of the day and he most definitely wasn’t drunk enough for this.

“You make it sound easy.”

Ryuu cracked open a can as well, raising it to him.

“I didn’t say any of it would be easy. But worth it?”

Yamato nodded, clinking his beer to Ryuu’s.

“I wouldn’t trade my family for the world.”

In the living room, Sougo leaned in with a hushed voice, running his fingers through Nanami’s silky hair.

“The truth is, I wasn’t sure if I ever wanted kids at all. But spending time with Ryuu and his family...it showed me what it could be like. And eventually, I knew that that was something that I wanted to have one day. With him. It definitely took some time.”

Mitsuki nodded, holding the fussy baby against his chest. Yuuto eventually quieted down, holding onto Sougo’s finger as his eyes fluttered shut.

“I guess I just have to wait, huh?”

“He’s worth it, isn’t he?”

Mitsuki found his head turning to the kitchen, where he found Yamato gazing at him longingly through the doorway. He quickly turned around, feeling the blush crawling up his neck.

“...Of course he is.”

“Then the right time will come.”

* * *

 

Orange, red and gold settled over the rooftops as Mitsuki and Yamato made their way home. Their fingers slotted together like puzzle pieces, the perfect match. For some reason, there was a nervous, static feeling, like they were holding hands for the first time again. Mitsuki could feel butterflies in his stomach as Yamato squeezed his hand.

Yamato, on the other hand, would call them moths.

They weren’t bad, but his were always drawn to Mitsuki. The literal light of his life.

“Productive day, hmm?” Yamato finally said, not being able to stand Mitsuki’s uncharacteristic silence.

“Yeah. Lots to think about.”

“...Still want me as the father of our kids? Even if I’m messed up?”

“You’re not messed up,” Mitsuki stopped him in his tracks, halting as they arrived in front of their apartment.

“Some experts might argue otherwise—”

“I’m serious!” Mitsuki emphasized, putting his hand to Yamato’s cheek. The taller man couldn’t help but avert his gaze from Mitsuki’s face. Those all-knowing eyes were on him once again, picking him apart and breaking him down.

“Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be ready, okay? I want a family that we can call  _ours_. So don’t worry about making a decision anytime soon. I don’t mind waiting.”

Yamato still didn’t look up.

“You’re worth it. Even if that means waiting until we’re old and gray. I want us to do it together. And if that time never comes? Well...we’ll just be the best damn uncles there ever was.” Mitsuki’s voice cracked on the last few words, and Yamato pulled him in, not caring that there were definitely neighbors watching them.

“...I want to give you the family you deserve someday, okay Mitsu? Even if I’m not perfect...I’ll...do my best.” He’d learned that from Mitsuki long ago. As long as they tried hard together, their lives would be fulfilling. The advice hadn’t failed him yet. With Mitsuki by his side, every day feels like it's worth facing head-on.

Mitsuki pulled away slightly, his face wet with the tears he had been struggling to keep in.

“Your best is more than enough. Especially for a lazy guy like you…” he teased, and Yamato ruffled Mitsuki’s hair, pulling him in again and smothering him in his embrace.

“Oi you...this is the last day I show emotions, got it? You’ve got no one else but yourself to blame…”

“‘M sorry! ‘M sorry!” Mitsuki laughed, pushing himself away from Yamato’s death grip.

“Thank you.” Mitsuki leaned on his toes, sealing his gratitude with a kiss between his and Yamato’s lips. They were warm with the summer air between them, the sweat clinging to their skin. The atmosphere was humid with summertime, and Yamato felt like they were back to their glory days.

Stolen kisses between rehearsals. Secret touches that only they shared. Whispers of adoration as the sounds of their adoring fans faded behind the curtains, a sweet encore just for the two of them.

“For?”

Another kiss, reassuring and _home_.

“Always trying.”

A third, a vow for the future.

“Anything for you, Mitsu.”

**Author's Note:**

> special thanks to Pompouspickle for the request! i love yamamitsu and ryuusou and getting the chance to write them together in a fluffy future fic was so much fun! If you want me to write for you, hit me up on [Twitter!](https://twitter.com/flyhinata) Please comment and leave a kudos if you got any dokis...I sure did while writing this...definitely didn't cry...multiple times ha a ha


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